Hockey players skate across the ice at the Howelsen Ice Arena on Wednesday afternoon in Steamboat Springs. The Howelsen Hill city park/Emerald Mountain complex, which includes the ice arena, is one of the final eight projects that the lodging tax committee is considering.

Race for Steamboat Springs lodging tax dollars narrows to 8 finalists

Lodging tax committee chairman Larry Mashaw ranks the remaining proposals for the city's 1 percent lodging tax Wednesday at a meeting in Centennial Hall. The committee narrowed down the race for the tax to eight finalists.

Steamboat Springs  Some of the 16 applications for Steamboat Springs' lucrative lodging tax revenues were easier to nix than others Wednesday.

“Is there a single tourist who would say 'I'm going to Steamboat because the medians look good'?” Cari Hermacinski asked Wednesday as she and the rest of the city's lodging tax committee quickly eliminated a proposal to use the annual 1 percent accommodations tax revenue to landscape the medians along U.S. Highway 40 east of downtown.

Proposals that easily made the cut included Haymaker Golf Course's request to earmark the tax for future capital improvements; a downtown revitalization committee's plan to build a Yampa River Park and a promenade along Yampa Street; a Steamboat Springs Trail Alliance plan to build 46 new biking and multiuse trail segments and connections; and a plan to expand and enhance the Howelsen Hill city park/Emerald Mountain complex.

During Wednesday's meeting, all of the proposals were written on a whiteboard, and committee members gave each proposal a ranking from one to three.

Applications given a one were the most desirable, and the ones given a three were the least desirable.

Some proposals, like the median beautification project and another to use the tax to add more public restrooms in Steamboat, quickly garnered twos and threes and were nixed easily.

Others, like the one from city staff to purchase six open space parcels to enhance recreation in Steamboat, hung on after members of the lodging committee defended the plan's value.

“This is something I thought could be really big for tourism,” Holiday Inn of Steamboat Springs owner Scott Marr said, adding that additional trails and river access in Steamboat easily would attract more visitors to the Yampa Valley.

When evaluating the proposals, committee members consistently inquired about how broad of an appeal the projects had and what type of a track record the applicants had in the community.

Why didn't Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp's request to build a new community performing arts theater make the cut?

“Public funds to private entities isn't the best use of our funding,” the committee agreed.

And what about the Steamboat Springs School District's proposal to build a new community sports field?

“I don't think the school district has done a good job of opening up their amenities to the community,” committee member Tom Ptach said.

The eight finalists will be invited to meet in March with the lodging tax committee and give public presentations.

The committee then will choose one of the proposals to recommend to the Steamboat Springs City Council.

Tom
4 words come to mind with your statement:
"Are you kidding me?"
The night you made this remark, the middle school was open to two rock climbing groups, two or three scout groups and parks and recreation until 10:00.
Look, I have no problem with the committee selecting the projects they did. But at the very least do not make false statements about what the schools do not provide for the community.
Jerry Buelter, SSMS, Assistant Principal

New sports fields would be great and it is too bad they did not make the cut. The high school opens their field for a lacross tournament that brings in more tourists than many events. Throw in the soccer and baseball tournaments and you have very good potential for both locals and tourists coming to Steamboat using the services.

In addition as it is quite a haul for competition for the local kids, a new sheet of ice and fields that would allow more tournaments here would benefit the locals as well. It would be a win - win in adding more sporting outlets facilitating higher levels of competition and making it easier on locals in having the ability to have more events for kids to participate in.